Director PJ Starks has managed to create something of a very gripping and heartbreaking short film that doesn’t exactly lead audiences where one would expect. All along I suspected director Starks was going for an exploitative horror twist, but in reality the gut wrenching turn that ensues is far from horror and more horrific. But while the center piece is the overall hook to the story, “A Mind Beside Itself” is a testament to the power of grief, and the endless nightmare that is regret and guilt. Regret that we didn’t appreciate our loved ones while we had them. And guilt that it’s much too late to do anything about it. Tristan is a man who has just met the love of his life and they’re experiencing an amazing romance that will define his life forever.
But as he spends most of his time with his new love Maya, he also has another world where his mind lingers. It’s a world where he spends most of time and continues to box himself in that is beginning to tear apart his tumultuous love with his new wife. But as signs indicate dire things, Tristan becomes more concerned with how to stop the omens rather than enjoying what he has at the moment. Starks makes plays for destiny and fate with “A Mind Beside Itself” and delves in the arena of the classic ominous omen sub-genre where he offers the question if fate had any hand in what inevitably occurs, and if Tristan could have done anything about it. Is Tristan just living an endless loop of love and loss?
Or is he merely just re-living his tragedy over and over again? Can he ever do anything to stop what originally occurred? Is he something of a time traveler? Most of this is left unanswered to the audience and for good reason, because when the final punch is delivered, it’s gut wrenching blow that will leave viewers reeling and tearing up, and I found myself pondering on the endless spiral that is grief and remorse, and what it can do to even the best of us. Starks has a truly emotionally compelling piece of dramatic short storytelling here, and I look forward to seeing what he can do with a long format. With a slew of strong performances, and a gut wrenching narrative, “A Mind Beside Itself” is a wonderful and grueling short drama that will speak to audiences who have yet to fully grieve for the special someone.